F6F Hellcats on deck, turning up, while
waiting turn to be brought forward to catapult. Note special radar on
right wing for night operation.

April 1943

SBD Dauntless dive bomber being catapulted.

1943

Edward Henry O'Hare, Lieutenant, USN. Better known as
Butch O'Hare in F4F Wildcat. O'Hare field in Chicago, IL
is named after him. The Wildcats were on the
Independence only a short time. Like the SBD's,
their wings did not fold and took too much space on the flight and
hangar deck. Air Ordnance did not like the F4F because the
guns had to be charged by hand instead of hydraulically like the
F6F Hellcat.

April 1943

SBD Dauntless dive bomber being catapulted.

Oct 8, 1943

Planes on flight deck during refueling operations. A lot of work for the
Airdales.

The F6F Hellcat was a secret weapon at
the time this photo was taken. Notice the circle on the bottom of the
wing. This is a mock up of the wheels of a F4F Wildcat. The
enemy thinks he is fighting a F4F, giving the F6F
pilot a distinct advantage during a dogfight.

The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp manufactured many
products for the WWII effort. Most notably was a succession of fighter
planes which was called "The Cat Family". Here is that
Family Tree:

F3F Fighter: was a bi-plane which
served as a training plane during the first part of the war.

F8F Bearcat: 20% lighter and 50 MPH
faster than the F6F. Came too late in the war to see action. Designed to
sit on the deck in full readiness. When radar spotted an enemy plane
(which was called a "bogey"), the Bearcat would take off and engage the
enemy before it could reach the fleet. It sported a Pratt & Whitney 18
cylinder radial engine, 2400 HP.

Oct 10, 1944

Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber being
launched from the left catapult. Essex class carrier in background.

Oct 6, 1944

Damaged aircraft after typhoon. This photo was taken in
the fall of 1944, before the "big" typhoon of Dec 17 and 18, 1944. It
shows a small part of the damaged aircraft (F6F Hellcats)
on the hangar deck a day or so after the first of the typhoons that the
Independence survived. This one caught the ship partially unprepared.
Much damage was done because while the planes were lashed down, the
hydraulics of the landing gear had not been drained, the planes thus
stretched their lashes and broke loose in many cases. On the left
airplane there is an air ordnance man working on the starboard guns,
possibly replacing one or more if they were damaged.

Undated

This photo depicts the "palisades" that were erected on
the forward end of the flight deck when we were undergoing heavy weather
which precluded all flight operations. Note how the planes are lashed
carefully to the flight deck cleats. The palisades were designed to
break up the force of the wind down the deck, which varied considerably
depending on the ship's heading. Some unthinking sailors made a game of
standing in front of the palisades to see whether they could withstand
the force of the wind. Not many lasted very long, but no one went over
the side.